August 11, 2002
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore… How does an artist respond to music? How is the musician inspired by art? Can music and painting together create great art? Portland artists will explore these questions with Oregon Symphony cellist Tim Scott in a live collaborative performance at the Portland Art Museum's Whitsell Auditorium on Friday, Sept. 13 at 7 p.m.
Presented by the Symphony in collaboration with the museum and Oregon Public Broadcasting, "The Look of Music/ The Sound of Art" will feature visual artists Paul Missal, Laurie Ross-Paul, Judith Wyss and Inga Dubay painting and drawing to the music of the Bach Suites for solo cello. The project is funded by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation as part of the Magic of Music initiative.
"We seldom see the visual artist at work," said Scott. "The process by which art is created is essentially private. We do not see the beginnings and middles of art works. We do not share in what inspires the visual artist. In this collaboration the public will see the process of creation of works of art."
The Bach Suites are among the greatest and most popular works for the cello, he said, and have inspired many artists and musicians. Yo Yo Ma has collaborated with dancers, filmmakers and even a garden designer to interpret these pieces, and the works of Escher and other artists have drawn inspiration from this music. Scott has studied and performed the Bach Suites since childhood, and says he continually finds new meaning in the music.
During Scott's performance, the ongoing work of the artists will be projected onto a large screen, courtesy of OPB videographers. At some point, Scott will reverse the artistic process and perform improvisationally to the art.
Members of the audience will be provided with pencil and paper and encouraged to create their own visual responses to the music. A roundtable discussion with the artists will follow the performance. The event is free but due to limited seating tickets are required. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis at the Oregon Symphony Box Office at 923 SW Washington or the Portland Art Museum.
This event is part of the Oregon Symphony's Creative Empowerment Project, which enables musicians to explore how key concepts of the Symphony's innovative Nerve Endings series can be developed for smaller ensembles in a variety of community settings, according to Director of Education and Community Programs Michael Kosmala. The project focuses on creativity, audience development, interactivity, education and use of different media and art forms with the goal of presenting intriguing and unusual musical/artistic experiences for audiences and musicians alike.